


One Summer’s Day

by tatsue akashiro (smol_demon_giyuu)



Category: Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi | Spirited Away, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Abusive Todoroki Enji | Endeavor, Alternate Universe-Spirited Away, Blood and Injury, Dabi is Todoroki Touya, Don’t Judge Me, Dragon! Todoroki Shoto, F/M, Fluff, Hainu! Kirishima Eijiro, Imprisonment, Injury, Kitsune! Bakugo Katsuki, Kitsune! Uraraka Ochako, Major Character Injury, Slow To Update, Sort Of, Todoroki Enji | Endeavor Being An Asshole, Todoroki Enji | Endeavor's Bad Parenting, Todoroki Shouto Needs a Hug, Yokai! Class 1-A, at least for some time, cannot resist shoto/haku, had edited some plot and characters, he does care tho, im working on other fics, just friends ok, kacchan/reader is only platonic, obviously, shoto is called haku, sorry qmq, third work on ao3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:01:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 16,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25585585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smol_demon_giyuu/pseuds/tatsue%20akashiro
Summary: BNHA Spirited Away AU Todoroki x Reader.more details later[ON HIATUS]
Relationships: Bakugou Katsuki/Reader, Todoroki Shouto/Reader, Various/Reader
Kudos: 19





	1. 零

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> for those people who know have learnt basic chinese/japanese, you should know these are chinese/japanese numerals. this one is zero uwu. will be using them for chapter names.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> where you don't want to move house and your dad is too curious for his own good.

“(Name). We’re almost there, just a while more, okay?”

“But okaa-san, I want to go home!”

“We’re going to arrive at our new home soon, (Name).”

You lay in the backseat of your parents’ small car, clutching a bouquet of flowers and staring at the car ceiling. Moving boxes of various sizes sat all around you, your legs rested on one sitting on the car seat. Scenery flashed past your window, but you didn’t pay attention to it.

You'd just moved house to a town in the countryside. You’d hated to leave your friends behind, but your parents insisted, and dragged you anyway. As you continued to stare fixedly at the ceiling, your mother spoke.

“Wow, this town really is in the middle of nowhere. I’ll have to go to the next town in order to simply shop for groceries.”

“We’ll just have to learn to like it.” Your father replied. Looking out the window, he pointed.

“Look (Name), that’s your new school. Looks nice, doesn’t it?”

“It doesn’t look so bad.” Your mother agreed.

“Looks just like any plain school to me.”

You stuck your tongue out at the school building as the car drove past.

“It’s going to stink there, I liked my old school more.”

Leaning back into your seat, you jumped when you saw that the flowers your friends had given you were withering.

“Okaa-san! My flowers are dying!”

(M/N) sighed lowly, glancing back at your distressed self. She gave a light, comforting smile.”

“I told you not to smother them like that, right? We’ll just have to put them in a nice vase when we get to our new home.”

“I finally get a bouquet, and it just  _ has _ to be a  _ goodbye _ bouquet. That’s just depressing.”

“Otou-san bought you a rose for your birthday, didn’t he?” (M/N) smiled at you.

“Yeah. One. One rose doesn’t make a bouquet.”

(M/N) picked the fallen message card from the floor and handed it back to you.

“Hold on tight to your card, I’m going to open a window.”

The window came down. Wind blew through your hair, messing it up. You scowled.

“And maybe you could stop whining. It’s fun to move to a new place, isn’t it? It’s like an adventure.”

You stared out at the power lines moving slowly past you, as the car drove up a sloping road to a stretch of houses on a hilltop.

_ Later _

The car cruised to a stop in front of a old, decaying traditional Torii gate. Faded red paint cracked and worn, it had obviously been here for a long time. It leant against a massive tree with a thick trunk and roots. Ivy curled up the trunk, attempting to choke it in its stranglehold but the tree still stood tall.

Both sat to the side of a long-abandoned earthen track, which stretched on into a shrouded forest, leaf-strewn ground dappled by occasional streams of sunlight. (F/N) stopped the car.

“Wait, did I take a wrong turn? This isn’t right.”

“Look, isn’t that our house?” (M/N) pointed to a blue house sitting on the hill at the end of a line of suburban houses.

“It’s that blue one on the end.” (M/N) said, relieved.

“Oh, you’re right. I must have missed the turnoff. This road should take us there.” (F/N) started the car again.

“(F/N), maybe it would be best if we didn’t take a shortcut? You always get us lost.”

“Trust me, we’ll definitely get there in no time!”

You looked out the window as he drove, seeing piles of little stone houses cluttered along the roadside. Moss was growing on them.

“Okaa-san, what are those stone houses?”

“They’re shrines. Some say spirits live there.”

You looked at the long, shaded dirt road ahead.

“I think we’re lost.”

Your father, meanwhile, insisted that you’d all be fine.

The car hit a bump and you yelped as you were violently thrown backwards into the backseat.

“Sit down, please, (Name).” Your mother reminded you.

The car passed onto a curving, stone path and (F/N) only drove faster.

You stared as the car passed a round, smiling  _ Dosojin _ statue hidden away in between the trees.

The car continued bumping, jolting you back and forth as tree branches whipped the windshield.

“(F/N)! Stop! You’re going to kill us at this rate!”

Your father showed absolutely no sign of stopping.

Until a grinning stone face loomed out of the fast approaching plant life.

“What’s that?!”

(F/N) slammed on the brakes so hard that the car skidded for a good few yards before screeching to a halt in front of another smiling  _ Dosojin _ and a large, looming red building with a huge archway. Trees surrounded it on both sides, hiding its breadth from your view.

(F/N) opened the car door and stepped out, peering at the enormous structure. He approached the doorway, attempting to see what was beyond it.

“What’s this old building doing here?” (M/N) asked.

“Looks like an entrance.”

“Get back in the car, we’re going to be late.”

You got out as well, following your father.

“Oh, for heavens’ sake, (Name)......” (M/N) sighed and followed.


	2. 一

(F/N) ran his hand down the cracked paint.

“This isn’t old, it’s just plaster. It’s a trick.”

The pitch-black hallway seemed to lure you in, an anglerfish waiting for its unsuspecting prey. It gave you the creeps.

The leaves by your feet rolled in the wind, almost inviting you in.

“The wind’s pulling us in.” You pointed this out to your parents.

“Don’t be silly, (Name.)”

“Come on, let’s go in. We should see what’s on the other side.” (F/N) stepped up to the threshold.

“I’m not going.” You glared angrily at your parents for bringing you to this place. You didn’t like it. “It creeps me out.”

“The movers will be there before we are.”

“They’ve got the keys. It’ll be okay, just a quick look.”

“Alright then, just a  _ very _ quick look.”

“Otou-san, okaa-san! Let’s just go!”

You stared with growing discomfort at the two-sided  _ Dosojin _ , which had a face on each side and never seemed to stop looking at you with its chilling smile.

“(Name), just wait for us in the car then.” (M/N) started down the path.

You took one more look at the statue and took off after your parents.

“But okaa-san! Wait for me!”

Starting down the dark hallway, you looked around. You didn’t like the darkness.

“Watch your step, everybody.”

Catching up to your mother, you grabbed her arm and clung on.

“(Name), don’t do that. You’ll make me trip.”

A light gradually appeared on the other side, passageway opening into a high-vaulted room supported by tall columns. The walls were cracked and bare. Coloured glass on the windows shone blue, yellow and green light onto the floor.

“What is this place, otou-san?”

A faint rumbling sounded in the distance.

“Listen, do you hear that?”

“Sounds like a train.”

You shared a glance with your mother and smiled.

“We must be near a train station.” (M/N) spoke, relieved.

(F/N) led you through the open archway ahead.

There was an open hilly field of long, unkempt grass, with small, abandoned buildings and more  _ Dosojin _ scattered around. A dirt path led to a cluster of buildings peeking over one of the hills.

“What are those weird buildings?” You couldn’t help asking.

“I knew it! It’s an abandoned theme park!” (F/N) exclaimed excitedly.

He looked behind and you followed his gaze to the building you’d just exited. A clock tower could be seen sitting atop, with another clock facing the ‘park’.

“They built them everywhere back then. Then they all went bankrupt when the economy failed and they just left them where they were. This must be one of them.”

Your parents started up the path, leaving you standing there by yourself. You looked at the clock tower again and realised with a jump that the plant life on the sides of the building were nowhere to be seen.

“Otou-san, okaa-san! Where are you going?! We were going to just have a quick look! Let’s go home!”

They didn’t respond, continuing to walk.

“Hey!” You followed them, refusing to be left alone.

Wind blew through the tunnel in the building, making a low noise and sending leaves blowing around your feet.

“The building’s moaning, okaa-san!”

“It’s just the wind, (Name).” (M/N) told you reassuringly. “Look at the beautiful view, we should have brought the sandwiches we had in the car. Then we could have a picnic.”

(F/N) stepped onto a stack of boulders that were running through the field like a river.

“Hey, they were planning on putting a river here.”

He reached out to help (M/N) across, but then stopped and sniffed the air.

“Huh?”

(M/N) nearly tripped while crossing and latched onto his arm, managing to stay balanced.

“Do you smell that? Something’s cooking. Smells good.”

“I’m starving, too.”

“Maybe this theme park’s still in business, let’s go.”

(M/N) turned back to you.

“(Name), hurry up.”

You were struggling across the rocks, trying to keep from falling into the water.

“Wait!!”

Panicking, you jumped from rock to rock, landing and following them up a staircase.

It was practically a ghost town, an empty street of old shops and various attractions. A worn stone staircase led to another level of buildings.

(F/N) quickly climbed up to the top and sniffed. He pointed down the intersecting street.

“Over there.”

Meeting another road, he sniffed, looked left and right, then decisively turned left into a side street.

“This way, come on.”

You and (M/N) walked behind, looking at the buildings. 

“How strange, they’re all restaurants.”

She was, at least. You paid special attention to the fact that it was deadly silent all around. If there was indeed food, then there must be someone doing the cooking.

“Where is everyone?”

But there was no one in sight.

“Ah, there.”

A coil of smoke curled from a chimney up ahead. (F/N) ran to it, stopping to look and turning back.

“Hey, I found it!”

Pushing through some decorative cloth flaps at the entrance, (F/N) stared in delight at the piles of food at the counter. (M/N) joined him and looked in yearning at the stack of meat dumplings in front of her. You hung back, reluctant.

“Is anybody here?”

No answer.

(M/N) sat down on one of the wooden stools.

“Come on, (Name). It looks great.”

You shook your head, staying put.

“Anybody?!”

“Don’t worry, we can just pay them when they get here.”

“Good plan- oh, that looks good.”

He snatched a dumpling.

“I wonder what this is called.”

(M/N) ate, eyes widening in delight. “(Name)! It’s delicious, come and try!”

“I don’t want any! We might get into trouble, let’s just go!”

(F/N) used chopsticks to fill three plates with a little of everything the shop had to offer.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got plenty of credit cards and cash.”

Setting the plate down, he sat next to your mother and ate, downing an entire dumpling, biting into an egg roll and turning to chomp down on the sausage in his other hand.

“Otou-san! Okaa-san! You can’t do this!”

Oblivious, they continued eating. Huffing angrily, you turned and walked away to explore.

You walked out onto the street and spotted a tall red monument similar to a shrine. It had the kanji for ‘oil’ written on it. There was the top of another building seen past the bridge. Interested, you looked back at your gorging parents, then approached.

Climbing onto the last step, you stared at the monument, then your eyes widened when you looked past it and saw what was behind.

A grand traditionally styled building with green roofing and red-gold accents, standing an innumerable floors tall, rising up from the shallow water below the red bridge. A tall black chimney loomed from below the bridge, thick black smoke spewing from it. There was also a flag with the kanji meaning ‘onsen’ flying from one of the floors. Windows rattled loudly in the wind, filling your ears with the din.

“That’s just…...weird.”

It was probably a traditional bathhouse, judging by the ‘onsen’ flag and the garden hot spring you could see at the bottom.

You walked to the bridge linking the ghost town and the giant behemoth of a bathhouse looming in front of you.

Leaning over the bridge rails, you looked several stories down and saw a train exiting a tunnel at the bottom of the cliff the bathhouse was resting on. 

It ran under the bridge and you hopped up onto the rails on the other side to follow its path.

That was when you spotted the boy.

He stood on the bridge several meters away from you, stopped dead in his tracks.

He was about your age. He wore a white kariginu with a blue kimono underneath and similarly blue hakama pants. He had red-and-white hair, parted twice in front of his face and reached to a little past his shoulders. He glared at you with what seemed to be a frightened gaze. One of his eyes was a stormy grey, but the other was bright, fierce turquoise. He had heterochromia.

The boy grabbed your arm, bicolored eyes widened fiercely.

“You’re not safe here! You must leave  _ immediately _ !”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there we go. shoto appears.
> 
> imagine his hair to about a couple inches lower than his shoulders. his bangs are irregular and messy. like shu from beyblade.
> 
> (idk if any of you r fans but my brother watches it so i know a tiny bit.)


	3. 二

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> where you find your parents are pigs and shoto tries to get you to eat a berry.

You stepped down from the rail, confused.

“What?”

The boy pointed for you to turn back. As he did, the sun set rapidly behind him.

“It’s almost night time. Leave now, before it gets dark!”

The sun fell faster and the bathhouse lights turned on behind their huge paper windows. The boy hurriedly grabbed you and pushed you back the way you came, his tone harried.

“They’re lighting the lamps. Get out of here, before  _ they _ come out.”

_ They? _

Nevertheless, you turned and ran off the bridge, toward the stairs.

The boy yelled behind you. “You’ve got to get across the river! Go, I’ll distract them!”

As you ran, you looked back just to see the strange boy turn in the direction of the bathhouse, hold his hand close to his mouth in a strange gesture and blow glowing, ice white flower petals from thin air.

You ran down the stone staircase, red paper lamps lit up on both sides of you, illuminating the dark street with their glow. Shadows in the alleys and corners stretched ominously toward you, seeming to take their own shape. A strange chanting could be heard all around you. You stopped and rubbed your eyes, trying to clear your head.

“What’s up with this place?!”

You continued to run and the town came to life- the red lanterns lit the way for half-transparent, gray-black shapes resembling ghosts roaming the streets.

You arrived back at the stall your parents were. They had made a mess, grime, broken plates and bits of bone scattered across the counter and thel floor surrounding them. They had become massive, bulging out from their clothes, which were stretched to breaking point, ripping at the seams, straining to stay together.

“Okaa-san, otou-san! Come on, stop eating! We’ve got to go home!” You ran over, reaching out to tap (F/N)’s shoulder.

You shook him and he turned to you, showing the face of a pig with the hairstyle and clothes of your father. (M/N) looked the same, except with her own hairstyle and clothing.

“Aaah!!” You jumped back, terrified. This wasn’t your parents.

The pig turned away from you and continued eating, now so pudgy that it knocked more plates of food to the ground, shattering more dishes.

An arm wreathed in yellow smoke spewing from the stove reached out with a fly swatter to smack the larger pig across the face with it, sending it falling from the wooden stool. It squealed loudly, half-chewed food spilling from its mouth. You screamed and ran away.

“Otou-san, okaa-san, where are you?!”

Back on the main street, you stopped and looked around, seeing the black, bloblike spirits all around you. They paid you no notice as you screamed for the whole street to hear.

“Okaa-san?!”

You tore down the street and hurriedly ran toward another stone staircase.

You reached the staircase, running past a frog statue that was spewing water from its mouth. You descended it as fast as you could, only to find you were waist-deep in water.

“......!!”

You climbed out and looked towards the field. Except it wasn’t a field. Not anymore.

What used to be a ‘sea’ of long grass had become a literal ocean, dark, cold water replacing green plant life. It lapped at the staircase, making soft splashing noises that didn’t manage to calm your terror. On the other side, the clock tower and various other buildings had lit lamps, almost glowing in the night.

“What?!”

You closed your eyes, curling into a ball on the ground and hitting your head over and over. This had to be a dream.

“I’m dreaming, I’m dreaming! Wake up!”

Unbeknownst to you, a large ferry with lamps hanging from its sides was steadily floating across the black water, coming towards the dock where you now sat.

“It’s just a dream! Come on, wake up already! Just disappear!”

Looking at your hands, you saw that you had become partly translucent. Through your hands, you could see the incoming ferry. You sighed with relief. It had really only been a dream.

The ferry reached the shore and a plank rumbled slightly as it was slowly lowered onto the stone. Doors opened and decorated paper masks floated out from the rooms within. As they passed the threshold, they faded into spirits wearing those paper masks and reddish robes. They proceeded up the staircase, not even stopping to acknowledge you. More blobby spirits emerged from the water, following the path towards the brightly lit bathhouse.

At the edge of town, a dark shape ran down alleyways and small streets, searching for something. They stopped at the top of a hill. Spotting you, they jumped down and continued to race down into the city.

On the far side of a tall building, you were sitting there, arms hugging your knees. Above you, spirits entered the bright city, chatting to each other.

You abruptly felt someone wrap their hands around your shoulders. Jolting, you spun around to see it was the strange boy from earlier.

“Hey, don’t be afraid.” He spoke with a gentle tone. “I just want to help you.”

You shook your head frantically. You didn’t want to be turned into a pig.

The boy pulled a tiny red ball from his pocket.

“Here.” His voice sounded low and reassuring, calming you slightly, but not completely washing away your fear. “Eat this berry. You’ll have to eat it, or else you’ll disappear.”

“No!”

You tried to shove him away, but your hand only passed through him. He brought the berry up to your mouth, expression exactly the same, as if nothing had even happened.

He gently placed the berry in your mouth. “Don’t worry, it won’t turn you into a pig. Just chew and swallow.”

You did, then winced horribly when the berry’s bitter flavour exploded over your tongue. You tried to spit it out, but the boy simply put a firm hand over your mouth, giving you no choice but to swallow. You felt a tingling in your arms and legs, then it stopped.

“There you go, you’re better now. Here, see for yourself.”

He held out his left hand, and you pressed your own against his. He felt surprisingly warm and quite solid.

“I…...I’m okay?”

Your shoulders dropped with sudden relief and he smiled at you. Still holding your hand, 

“See? Now come with me.”

“Wait, where are my parents? They didn’t really turn into pigs, did they?”

The boy was already dusting off his clothes, preparing to lead you away.

“You can’t see them now, but you will later-“

His head shot up and he pinned you up against the wall. He scanned the sky, hissing slightly.

“Get down. Don’t move.”

Crouching, you followed his gaze and saw the shape of a human in the sky, except with the large wings of a bird. It circled the area like a vulture.

You watched silently behind the boy, trying to keep as still and silent as you possibly could.

The shape flew out of sight behind a building and the boy stood up, the coast temporarily clear.

“He’s looking for you, you’ve got to get out of here.”

He tried to pull you up, but you couldn’t stand. Your legs refused to obey you.

“My legs! I can’t stand up! What do I do?!”

You pulled at his hands, trying to stand while he knelt to your level. Holding his right hand above your legs, he whispered some unintelligible words as his hand glowed white. Eventually, he stopped and the light faded from his hand.

“Okay, get up.”

You suddenly found you could stand. He pulled you up and ran, dragging you behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> who's the bird human thing huh


	4. 三

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> where there's a lot of running and hiding. plus some confusion and tsuyu.

You raced down a dark alley, pulled along by the boy. Nearing the door, he threw out his right hand towards the wooden sliding door at the end.

A shovel jamming the door glowed with white light and flew to the side, door sliding open and up ahead, you could see more doors opening, leaving the escape clear for you.

He pulled you through a sake brewery, past enormous oak barrels and towering storage vases-

Into a butchery, dead fish and squid piled all around, sausages and cured meats hanging from the wooden beams supporting the ceiling, chickens and cow ribs, bones stacked along the wall, the scent of blood thick in the air-

Through an icy, cold room filled with chilled, frosted meat-

Into a giant room filled with hundreds and hundreds of feeding, squealing pigs, the sound was incredible. As the boy tugged you along, you looked behind at all the pigs, wondering if two of those were your parents.

Finally slowing to a stop, you stared up in awe at the illuminated bathhouse. Voices could be heard from the bridge, announcing the arrival of the many spirits.

“Welcome, welcome.”

“Good evening.”

“Always great to have you back.”

The boy led you forward, opening a wooden gate and walking you down a path paved with large, rounded stones of irregular shapes toward the bridge.

“I’ll cast a spell that will hide your presence. You have to hold your breath while crossing. Even the tiniest breath will break the spell, and then everyone will be able to see you.”

“I’m scared.”

You clung to his arm, but he remained calm and postured.

“Just stay calm.” He now opened another gate by the bridge, where you saw two pretty female spirits standing at each side and bowing to the approaching yokai.

“Welcome!”

“It’s good to see you!”

The boy, with you keeping a tight grip on his arm, walked up to the two greeters.

“I’m back from my mission.”

The one on the left, a brown haired girl with two fluffy tails laying flat behind her back and pointed fox ears, immediately straightened up and bowed to the boy.

“Welcome back, Haku-sama.”

The boy, ‘Haku’, led you past her and approached the bridge.

“Take a deep breath.”

Eyes wide with fear, you inhaled.

“Now hold it.”

You covered your mouth with your hand.

You and Haku walked among many different gods and spirits, with cute yellow ones that resembled something like ducks or chickens, giant robed spirits with straw masks and more. A translucent black spirit with yellow eyes stared curiously at you as you passed. You couldn’t resist looking back at it, though Haku didn’t.

The walk seemed to take an eternity. You just wanted to get off the bridge. Your cheeks inflated, your lungs were bursting.

“Hang on, we’re almost there.” Haku muttered to you.

Just as you were about to reach the end, a female yokai resembling a cross between a frog and human popped up in front of you. She peered at Haku with wide green eyes.

“Haku-sama! Where have you been?”

Shocked by her sudden appearance, you gasped for air. The frog girl turned to gaze at you and Haku’s eyes widened warningly. Realising what you’d done, you immediately covered your mouth again, but the damage was done.

“A human? Haku-sama, what’s a human doing here-“

Haku caught her in a black bubble, which trapped her before she could say any more. He grabbed your hand and ran.

“Let’s go!”

You found you were flying. Low against the ground, your hair flying behind you, the ground blurring and leaving gusts of wind in your wake. You flew past a group of girls, ruffling their wide skirts which also provided cover for Haku to open a tiny, knee-high door and lead you through.

Meanwhile, the black bubble surrounding the frog girl disappeared and she dropped to the ground, confused.

Haku pulled you through an empty garden and ducked into a bush. Looking through the paper doors, you could see the shadows of workers running around like headless chickens.

“Haku-sama, Haku-sama! Where are you?!”

“There’s a human here! The whole place stinks, the smell’s everywhere!”

“They know you’re here.” Haku groaned, as if you hadn’t heard.

“I’m sorry, I took a breath.”

Haku put his arm around you reassuringly.

“No, (Name), you did really well. You couldn’t have helped what happened.” He then became serious. “Listen closely to what I tell you. If you stay here, you’ll be found, and you won’t be able to rescue your parents. I’ll create a diversion while you escape.”

He stood up to leave, but you grabbed his kimono.

“No! Please, don’t leave! I don’t want to be left alone!” You didn’t know what you could do without him here to help you.

“You don’t have a choice if you want to help your parents.”

You drooped sadly. “I wasn’t dreaming, then. They did turn into pigs.”

“This is what you have to do.” He pressed his right hand on your forehead. His hand glowed white, then you saw an image of the back gate in the garden in your mind’s eye. Haku’s voice sounded.

“When everything’s quiet, I want you to go out through the gate.”

It unlatched, opening; then you saw a steep staircase protruding from the building ending at a dirty green door. It opened into a smoky boiler room.

“Go all the way down the staircase and until you reach the boiler room. That’s where they stoke the fire for the water we use.”

Haku pulled his hand from your forehead and the vision faded.

“There you’ll find Aizawa, who works the boilers.”

“Aizawa?”

“Yes, that’s him.” Haku nodded. “Tell him you want to work here. That you want a job. Even if he refuses, you have to insist until he gives you one. If you don’t, Endeavor will turn you into an animal.”

“Who’s Endeavor?”

“He’s the one who rules the bathhouse. Those humans who don’t have work, behave out of turn or simply  _ somehow _ manage to get into this world get turned into animals by him. These days, he favours pigs, hence what happened to your parents.” Haku’s face twisted with grim displeasure.

“Aizawa is a tricky man, he will try to turn you away or wile you into leaving, but all you have to do is keep asking for work. It’ll be hard, but you'll be able to stay here. Then, even Endeavor can’t harm you.”

“Haku-sama!”

The workers were still panicking, calling for him. Said boy stood up.

“I have to go. But remember, (Name), I’m your friend.”

He turned to go but you stopped him.

“How do you know my name?”

Haku smiled at that.

“I’ve known you since you were very little. Good luck, and remember not to make a sound, okay?”

He let go of your hands and stepped out of the bush, opening the door.

“Haku-sama, Endeavor-sama wants to see you.”

“I know, it’s about my mission, right?” He took his sandals off and entered the bathhouse. The door shut behind him.

You waited until everything was quiet, then opened the gate and left.

  
  



	5. 四

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> where you meet aizawa and feel stupid

You clung tightly to the side of the building, looking down and shivering when you saw that the staircase didn’t have rails, giving you a clear path to the drop landing hundreds of feet below. A train passed underneath the bridge, appearing tiny because of the massive distance.

You gulped, sitting down on the first step and inching your foot along to find the edge and lowering yourself to the next step. You found it was actually solid and gradually got braver, trying another step and sliding down to the next one.

You extended your foot to the next step and the rusted nails suddenly gave way, the plank snapping. You were carried down the staircase by a ceaseless momentum, screaming all the way. You barely managed to keep from falling off as the steps rounded the side of the bathhouse, finally smacking into a cement wall on a landing. Peeling yourself off the wall, you panted and tried to calm your thumping heart.

A window above you opened and a worker wearing a cloth mask poked his upper body out and rested his six arms against the sill, enjoying the view. You slowly moved around the corner to avoid his detection and walked down the next flight of wooden stairs. You stopped in front of a small green door.

It was the same door Haku had told you to look for.

You opened the door, entered, and shut it behind you.

The passageway was dark, with thick, steaming pipes lining both sides of the hall. It was also very hot. You started to sweat as you edged towards the end of the hall, with a doorway appearing. Whatever was inside was giving off a strong heat and glowing a soft red. You reached the threshold and peered inside.

An enormous metal furnace dominated the room, resembling a monstrous creature crouched against the wall but still occupying half of the room. Steam spewed from many tall pipes, clouding the air. Black soot sprites scurried to and fro, carrying lumps of coal as big as their body. They ran up to the mouth of the boiler, throwing the coal into its opening.

In the middle of it all sat a slender, pale man who was hunched over a cluttered workstation, crushing herbs in a mortar bowl. His long black hair tangled in clumps and fell over his face, which was clearly unshaven. There were deep bags under his eyes and a pale, thin scar under his right eye. A grey-white strip of cloth wrapped around his neck, its different lengths reaching out and taking bunches of herbs from shelves lining the walls on two sides, pulling hanging red tokens and turning a large wheel at once as if they had minds of their own.

There were also others, three people (Were they people? At least they looked it). One, a red and spiky haired boy with dog ears and tail, stood on a tall, rickety ladder, pulling fistfuls of what looked like leaves from some of the large drawers, passing them down to a pink-skinned girl with similarly pink hair. When she turned to give them to the black haired man, you could see her eyes, golden with black sclera.

And there was a boy who had yellow hair with a black lightning bolt shaped streak in it. He was standing sentinel-like next to a chute sticking out from a hole in the ceiling, as if he was waiting for something to shoot out of it.

You retreated to the passage in fear, jolting when hot steam jetted from a pipe directly behind you. You peeked back in and saw the man now turning another huge wheel, with both hands.

He noticed you, then took up a small wooden mallet and pounded the surface of his stone workstation, the soot sprites retreating back into what looked like mouseholes set along the wall.

You walked in and nervously approached.

“Um, excuse me……”

The man stared at you for a moment through his long bangs, then turned back to his work.

“Hello?”

He still didn’t answer you.

You took a few more steps towards his workstation.

“Uh. Hello? Are you Aizawa?”

The man was about to speak when a bell rang and four red tokens dropped from a chute. The yellow haired boy scooped them up and threw them to the man, who caught them deftly and looked at them for a second before nodding slightly and tossing them back. The boy put them into a small wooden bucket at his side, then resumed his silent vigil by the chute.

“Four tokens at once. What are they doing, a water fight party?!” The man grumbled and brushed crushed herbs into a small chute sticking out of the boiler, then turned slightly to glare at you.

“Yeah, I’m Aizawa. Slave to the boiler that heats the baths. What’re you doing here?” He then turned back to his workstation, slamming the mallet on the surface to hurry the soot sprites.

“Haku told me to come here and ask you for work. Can I please have a job?”

Aizawa didn’t even bother to turn in your direction.

“Oi, hurry up. I really hate how they work things up there. They just keep sending tokens and requests for all those herbal baths, with total disregard for how I’m slaving away down here. It’s just not rational.” He only talked to the three mysterious spirits and the scampering soot sprites, acting as though you weren’t even there in the first place.

“Please, I really need to get a job.” You desperately interjected.

“I don’t need any help. The place is full of soot, all I have to do is to cast a simple spell and I’ve got all the workers I need.” Aizawa rolled his eyes. “And I’ve got these three fools who help me with anything else I need.” He pointed towards the three yokai (They had to be. What else?) who were busying themselves with their respective tasks. “Why would I need one more?”

At that moment, the soot balls came out of the holes, carrying more coal to the furnace. You tried to step out of the way, but they were too fast and piled up at your feet, causing a jam.

“Oh, sorry. Just a second.” You carefully moved away, trying not to accidentally squash any sprites. You found a corner and leant against the wall-high drawer shelf.

“Move aside, please.” The dog yokai gently nudged you aside. He opened a drawer, pulled out some stems, reached out to get some other herbs from a different shelf, then ran to give them to Aizawa. The man took them with a tiny grunt of thanks, then returned to his work.

You curled up in defeat. You really couldn’t do anything.

A soot sprite exited the hole right in front of you. It stumbled and dropped the coal it was carrying on one of the worst places possible. (no, not your foot.)

Itself.

It squirmed and let out tiny squeaks as it struggled to free itself. Taking pity on the sprite, you picked the coal up and it immediately scurried back to the hole to get another piece.

“What should I do with this?” You asked Aizawa. “Should I just leave it here?”

He just shrugged.

“Finish what you started, human.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kiri is a hainu (winged dog)
> 
> he can change into semi-human form and hide his wings uwu


	6. 五

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> where you also meet an explosive kitsune

The soot sprites watched from their holes along with the three yokai as you slowly moved towards the furnace. You inched yourself shaky step by shaky step towards the furnace. The coal was heavier than it looked. You marvelled at how the sprites could make carrying it look so easy. They moved out of your path as you carried it.

The furnace did indeed resemble a giant creature, you thought. Even the opening for tossing coal in looked like a mouth, with a piece of metal that slid over the hole, just like a mouth. Sparks shot from the opening as it opened and closed. There was only a few seconds’ chance to throw the coal in before it closed. You took a deep breath, readying yourself and quickly threw the coal into the hole.

You felt pretty proud of yourself for being able to do this. The coal  _ was _ heavy, and to tell the truth, you did feel that any second your grip would loosen and you’d drop it on your toes.

Also, the heat was suffocating.

The soot sprites interrupted your train of thought, running up to you and all dropping their coal on themselves. Aizawa groaned and clanged his mallet again.

“You want to turn back into soot, huh?!” Then he faced you. “And you, back off. If they don’t work, their spell wears off and they turn back into soot. You can’t take someone else’s job, you know. Everyone has their own. Try somewhere else.”

The sootballs squeaked in protest, raising their coal and piling at your feet again.

“You got a problem with that?!” Aizawa yelled. “Now get back to work!”

At that moment, a small wooden door slid open on the other side of the room and a boy’s voice sounded.

“Oi, are you fighting again?! It’s dinnertime, what’s going on?!”

A boy entered with a large bowl of food and a basket. He had spiky ash-blond hair and wore a seemingly permanent scowl. He walked over to Aizawa.

“Where’s your other bowl?”

Aizawa shrugged. “Haven’t bothered to check.”

“The one from last time?!” The boy grumbled.

Aizawa looked around his cluttered station. You saw a cup and toothbrush, a box of tissues, pots of what smelled like coffee and much more. You even saw a big puffy yellow sleeping bag draped over one side. He rummaged around for a while, finally digging an old, dirty bowl out and handing it over to the boy, who snatched it with a loud huff.

“Keep telling you not to just leave the bowls sitting around……”

Aizawa then called to the sootballs. “Meal time, take a break!”

They hopped from the coal pile at your feet and ran to the boy, who reached into the basket he was holding and threw handfuls of  _ Konpeito _ candy to the sprites, who jumped up and down with joy.

Tossing more candy, the boy turned to the side and spotted you. He gasped quietly and you stared in fear. Three fluffy tails stuck up behind him, and you also realised he had a set of pointed ears on the top of his head.

(But then, of course he had to be a yokai like the others.)

“Human!” Then he stepped toward you, ears laying flat and letting out soft growls. “You’re the one everyone’s looking for upstairs, aren’t you?!” He launched himself at you but was caught by Aizawa’s capture cloth.

“She’s my daughter, okay? Shut up and stop trying to kill her.”

“Huh?!”

“She said she wanted to work here, but I’ve got all the help I need down here.” Aizawa continued, as if the boy hadn’t spoken. “Take her to Endeavor for me, she’s tough. I think she can handle it.”

“No. I’m not going to risk my life.”

Aizawa extended a hand holding a thick, juicy steak. “What about after this?”

The boy stared hungrily at the steak while Aizawa waved it tantalisingly in front of his nose.

“This is a good one. Want it?” Aizawa then turned to you. “If you want work here, you’ve got to make a deal with Endeavor. He’s the one who really rules this place.”

“Please?” The dog yokai spoke up. “Katsubro, please? Just this once?”

“Give me that.” The boy snatched the steak, then hissed at you. “Follow me, you idiot.”

You climbed out of the coal pile and ran to him.

“Can’t you even manage a ‘thank you’ or a ‘yes, sir’?”

“Yes, sir.”

“So stupid. Hurry up, I haven’t got all day.”

“Yes, sir.” You hurriedly picked up your shoes and made to follow him.

“You don’t need your shoes or socks. Leave them here.”

You took off your socks, rolled them up and placed them inside your shoes, putting them down. The sootballs crowded around them, investigating them. You crouched through the doorway and the boy hissed to you.

“Thank Aizawa, idiot. He’s sticking his neck out for you, you know.”

You turned back and bumped your head on the low doorway. Yelping in pain, you bowed to Aizawa.

“Thank you, Aizawa-san!”

His lips twitched in a smile and he flashed you a thumbs-up.

“Good luck.”

You stepped back out of the doorway where the boy was waiting.

“Come on.”

A voice rang out from the boiler room.

“Thank you, Katsubro!”

“Shut up!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enter katsuki! he’s a kitsune uwu and his name here is katsu >///<
> 
> comments and kudos give me life qwq


	7. 六

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> where a dragon spirit follows you around and katsu is mean

The boy led you through a dim hall, striding on and not stopping to wait even if you tripped or stumbled.

“Uhm…… what should I call you, sir?” You asked hesitantly.

“Call me Katsu.” He huffed.

Well, that explained why the dog yokai from earlier had called him ‘Katsubro’.

He started up a set of stairs and you stared quizzically at him.

“We have to go all the way to the top floor. Where Endeavor lives.” He explained.

You looked around at the walls as you walked. It was really dark, which was expected due to the fact you were in one of the lower floors, maybe the lowest, but you could see some large barrels and possibly more dried food hanging from the ceiling, like back in the butchery you went through with Haku.

You thought about him for a bit. He did say he’d known you since you were little. You didn’t remember him, though. You had no memory of anyone like him. Then why had he claimed to know you?

“Get over here.”

You snapped out of your thoughts and saw Katsu wasn’t in front of you anymore.

Instead, he was walking into a room branching off from the corridor filled with colossal gears that were pulling ropes up and down like how pulleys worked. You followed him in and looked up to see the ropes stretching through several stories, into the brightly lit, seemingly endless rooms above. 

“Oi! You want to get left behind?”

You ran to meet Katsu where he was standing in a doorless and wall-less elevator, managing to jump on just as it started to ascend.

“Humans are so stupid. Always having to wait for people to tell them what to do.” Katsu grumbled loudly, standing in the middle of the elevator and staring straight ahead.

You rested your head on a wood plank, inches from the passing wall.

“You want to lose your nose?”

You quickly pulled yourself away.

“Are you even Aizawa’s daughter? You’re totally nothing like him.”

“......”

Soon, the elevator stopped on a hallway with painted walls and piles of containers stacked around. Katsu led you out and you passed a kitchen where workers were busy filling rows and rows of bowls with snacks and soup.

He skirted a girl carrying a precariously wobbling pile of trays and entered another elevator. You followed him in and he pulled a lever on the wall. The elevator started to rise.

“Halfway there, stay close.”

“Okay.”

Slats in the wall let in light from outside. You looked through and saw vague blobs lounging in the many baths.

“Come on, human.”

“Uh, if you don’t mind, I’m (Name).”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”

The elevator stopped, and the door slid open.

Waiting outside was a Western dragon. It had pale gray scales and had a set of particularly large purple-gray claws on its right front foot. It had a smooth snout, with short, swept-back blonde hair. (Which was strange. Did dragons have hair?) Thin, slanting yellow eyes glared out from under a long fringe. Its vast wings were held slightly over its body, serrated and clawed at the tip.

“It’s the dragon spirit, Ryuko.” Katsu whispered to you.

You looked up at the towering dragon, trying not to stare. She did look quite intimidating.

The dragon pointed a claw upward and growled lightly. Katsu seemed to understand, bowing to her.

“Sorry, Ryuko-sama, but this elevator doesn’t go any higher. You’ll have to take another one, thank you.”

You didn’t get how his language could get so polite and respectful all of a sudden.

He led you past her and twitched an eyebrow. Ryuko followed you as you crossed a red-and-gold bridge. Her footsteps were surprisingly light and graceful, for all her bulk.

You looked over the bridge and saw the steaming baths, spirits of all kinds soaking in them while workers served them with food and different services. You even saw five baths full of the chicken-duck yokai from earlier, grouped in the baths and chirping to each other.

You looked behind you to admire the beautiful architecture and realised the dragon was still tailing you from behind.

“She’s following us.” You muttered to Katsu.

“Just don’t look at her.”

You reached a closed elevator and Katsu pushed the button to call it. While you waited, Ryuko caught up. She stopped just next to you. You tried not to look too stupid or nervous.

The door opened and three tusked monsters stepped out, led by a black haired boy with strangely shaped elbows. He bowed the monsters onward.

“This way, please. Your rooms are right this way.”

He sniffed the air, turning and gesturing for the monsters to continue on their way, then started to stare at Katsu, who growled at him and moved to block you from his view.

“Hey, Katsu?”

“What?” Said boy snapped, nudging you into the elevator with his foot as he turned to face the other boy. Ryuko (who was still here, waiting) followed you in, preventing them from spotting you.

“What’s that smell on you? You smell human.”

“Really? I smell  _ human _ ?” Katsu snorted. “Has your nose been malfunctioning? Or are you just stupid?”

“Where’s it coming from?” The boy pressed. “Come on, tell me.”

Katsu put on an annoyed face, staying silent.

“You’re hiding something, aren’t you? Show me.”

“Are you smelling this?” Katsu pulled the steak out.

“Steak……!”

The boy reached for it, but Katsu snatched it out of his reach.

“No way, Elbows, I'm saving it all for myself.”

“Please, just a bit……”

The boy grabbed at it again with Katsu holding it high. He looked back at you in the elevator.

“If you want to go up, pull the lever on your right.”

The dragon growled and nodded. She reached out a razor-sharp claw and hooked the lever. At the same time, she wrapped her wings around you, hiding you just as the boy reached around Katsu, trying to get the still-fresh steak which was currently being dangled behind his back.

“Please, how could you be so cruel?”

“I can be when I want to.”

That was the last you heard before the doors slid shut.

“Let me have a piece! Just a tiny piece-“

Katsu ate the whole steak in two big bites and grinned meanly at the boy.


	8. 七

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> where four more characters appear and you get your job
> 
> *claps*

The elevator continued to rise, you stayed squished up against the dragon while it ascended. Once, the doors opened on a floor with a long hall, sandals resting by closed shoji doors in which you could see shadows moving around.

You wondered exactly how many floors there were, and how many were left. This ride was taking forever.

You hadn’t seen Haku after he’d told you to find Aizawa. Where was he? And now you were going to see Endeavor. What if he didn’t approve of you? What if you got turned into a pig? You did want to leave this spirit world, after all. You wouldn’t be able to if you were a pig, right? And your parents. Had they gotten eaten? Turned into bacon and pork chops for the guests’ next meal? You didn’t like to think of the many horrifying possibilities.

The dragon beside you wrapped her wings tighter around you, as if reassuring you. You looked up at her and she met your gaze. Embarrassed, you quickly turned away.

Finally, the doors opened into a long, dark hall with tall columns and wooden carvings. There was a sort of traditional Japanese feel, yet also felt partly European. 

Every few feet, there was a pedestal with a type of artefact displayed on it. There were dim lanterns above each, which shed a calm yellow glow on some surfaces, casting others in dark shadow.

The dragon shifted next to you. She walked out of the elevator, scanning the area and stretching her long neck out to look down the corridor. You walked out after her and looked at the grand hall.

Ryuko stepped back into the elevator. You looked at the corridor, then turned to her. You found she’d transformed back into her human form. She bowed lightly, and you returned it. She smiled gently at you, showing pointed teeth.

“Good luck.”

With that, the doors closed and you were alone in the hall. Walking through the long hall, you passed ornate wall carvings, tapestries and wooden statues until you finally stopped in front of a short staircase.

You passed a giant stone engraving of a glaring hawk. It was carved in amazing detail, so real it seemed to be an actual, live bird. You could even see its individually carved feathers. Its beak glinted cruelly in the dim light.

You shivered. Its jaded eyes seemed to watch your every move.

Stopping at the top of the staircase, you stared at the giant, closed door. There was no door-knocker, only a huge doorknob. You reached out to grab it but a voice broke the stillness of the hall, close to your ear.

“Are you even going to knock?”

You turned and saw the sharp beak of the bird statue centimeters from your ear. It had come alive, leaning down from its pedestal to glare at you. It was still cold stone, which made it all the more terrifying.

Shaking, you raised your fist and knocked twice.

The bird spoke again, the sound a mix of a man’s chilling voice and the harsh, grating call of a preying bird.

“Pathetic. You wouldn’t survive two seconds here.”

The door opened, showing another room, sets of doors opening and opening to show what seemed like an endless chain of rooms.

“Come in already, you weakling.”

You clutched at your shirt, scared.

“I said, _come in_.”

You were suddenly pulled through the rooms by your shirt, through room after room, the double doors slamming shut behind you. As you were pulled along, you vaguely heard the locks click, preventing your escape.

You were finally tossed onto the ground, landing on an expensive mat. Sitting up, you heard small footsteps coming toward you.

You saw two young children looking at you. One, a girl with long white-grey hair and a small horn on the right side of her forehead. The other was a boy with black spiky hair. He wore a hat with two gold horns on it. The two stared curiously at you.

There was a loud grunt, and you looked up to see a tall man sitting at a handsome mahogany desk. He sat on a large padded chair, wearing a crisp business suit and black leather shoes. His outfit was surprisingly modern, unlike the traditional aura of the bathhouse. His face was masked by what seemed to be flames, making a mask around his eyes, his beard and moustache appearing to be made of flames as well. No doubt, this was Endeavor.

The children made small noises, pointing to you and looking back at Endeavor. He only grunted again.

“Shut up, you’re noisy. I still wonder why Aizawa had to dump you two with me.”

They retreated behind a velvet curtain, the girl looking quizzically back at you with cherry red eyes.

“E-excuse me, I was wondering if I could get a job?” 

He lazily waved a hand, you felt your mouth zipping shut. Panicking, you frantically tried to open it as he smirked, returning his gaze to a pile of documents in front of him.

“I don’t want to hear such a stupid request from a useless wimp like you.” He placed a large bag of gold into a box and closed it. “This isn’t a place for humans, you know. It’s a bathhouse for _kami_ and spirits. Where they come to get a rest from the disgusting filth of the human world.”

“You humans always mess things up. Your parents, for example. They ate the food we prepared for the spirits without a second thought. They acted like pigs, so they should be. They got what they deserved, and you should too.”

He surveyed you with a cold grin, contemplating the possibilities. “I could turn you into a piglet. Or maybe you’d prefer being a lump of coal like the ones Aizawa has in the boiler room.”

You shivered with fear and he laughed. “You’re shaking. Weak, like all the humans who trespassed here.” Then his eyes widened. “Actually, I’m surprised you made it this far. I’m sure you didn’t do it on your own, huh? Let’s thank whoever helped you, why don’t we? Who was it?” His voice was dangerously low, turquoise eyes narrowed in anticipation.

He unzipped your mouth and you immediately burst out, “Please! Can’t you just give me a job?”

“Don’t start that again, runt!”

“Please! I just want to work!” You screamed desperately.

Angry, Endeavor stood, sending papers flying as he stomped around the desk towards you with thundering footfalls. He stopped in front of you, towering over you. He grabbed the collar of your shirt, pulling you up.

“Why should I give you a job, huh? Anyone can see you’re a lazy, wimpy, spoiled crybaby with no manners. No one would want you.”

You stayed stock-still, scared for your life. Endeavor snorted.

“This is a high-class place I’m running here. There’s no job for you, get out. I’ve got all the workers I need.” Then he paused in thought. “Or I could give you the most difficult job there is, and work you till your very last breath. He grinned sadistically, gripping your collar so hard you were sure there would be a permanent crease.

A distant rumble resonated around the room. Endeavor let go of your shirt, cursing loudly and stomping toward a set of curtains beside a tall bookcase. He turned to you, hissing.

“You disturbed him. Now he won’t stop until he’s restrained again. Get out!”

He disappeared behind the curtains and you heard yells and clinking of chains. Endeavor cursed again, flames shooting out from the opening between the curtains. He poked his head out, starting when he saw you still here.

“What are you doing?! I told you to get out!”

“Give me a job, please!”

“Shut up already!” Endeavor roared, flames flickering wildly on his face.

“I’m not leaving till you give me a job!”

His head popped out again, twisted with annoyance.

“Okay, just shut up.” He disappeared back inside. The two children from earlier came out again and sat next to you on the floor, waiting.

After a while, a paper flew out from a stack, followed by a pen. They floated to you, and you caught them. The children smiled, hugging you around the waist and jumping up and down.

“Your contract.” Endeavor emerged again, sitting back at his desk and waving his hand. The fallen papers, books and valuables flew obediently to their places. “Sign your name and I’ll put you to work.”

You stared at the contract in wonder as he continued. “If I hear just one complaint about you, you’re joining your parents in the pigpen, got it?”

You were mostly relieved they hadn’t been eaten yet. You pointed to a blank spot on the paper.

“Do I sign here?”

“Sign it, do you want the job or not?”

You quickly signed your name on the paper. Endeavor grunted, taking it and inspecting your signature.

“So you’re (Name), huh?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Hmm.”

He held his hand above your words and the kanji rose off the paper and floated into his hand, leaving an entirely new set of characters in their place.

“It belongs to me now. From now on, your name is Akari, got it?!”

You stared at him, confused.

“Answer me, Akari!”

“Yes, sir.”

“You called for me, sir?”

You turned at the familiar voice and saw Haku standing in the shadows of the entrance.

“This girl signed a contract. Set her up to work with someone.”

Haku looked over at you. His heterochromatic eyes bore none of the warmth you’d seen in them before.

“What’s your name?”

“What, it’s (Na- oh, it’s Akari.”

“Okay. Akari, follow me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i chose akari bc its one of my sister's favourite japanese names uwu. she also helped me with choosing a lot of the characters.
> 
> who’s the mysterious person endeavor’s imprisoning?


	9. 八

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> where you meet the other workers and get bullied lol

You looked at Haku, who was standing on your right in the elevator as it zoomed down to the lower floors.

“Haku, I-“

“Don’t talk to me. And address me as Haku-sama.”

Haku’s long, bicoloured bangs fell over his eyes, casting them in shadow as he turned away. You stared, confused.

Why was he acting like a completely different person? This cold, aloof Haku wasn’t the kind, gentle one you knew.

A while later, the elevator opened into a cavernous room. You and Haku were on a landing. Looking down, you could see milling servants, walking around, chatting to each other and dressed in casual yukatas that appeared to be for sleeping. They stared shamelessly as Haku led you down a wooden staircase to where they were.

A blond with blue eyes smiled slyly from his seat behind what looked like a front desk. There was a wooden sign saying ‘foreman’ in front of him on the desk.

“Don’t care if Endeavor tries to kill us.”

A purple haired boy behind him completed the sentence.

“We’re not taking humans.”

The other workers crowded around, watching.

“She’s already under a contract.” Haku’s cold voice cut through the chatter like a knife.

“What?!”

“I promise to work very hard.” You said, hoping to gain their approval. A tall, rabbit-eared woman snorted, the others nodding along with her.

“We’re not having her in our department.” She sneered at you.

“She’ll stink up the whole place with her smell.”

“We don’t want her.”

“Three days of eating our food and her smell will go away.” Haku told them. “And if she doesn’t work hard, you can roast her, boil her, eat her, do whatever you want with her.”

The crowd nodded in approval.

“Get back to work, where’s Katsu?”

The crowd started to disperse and you saw workers smirking at said angry boy, who was leaning lazily against a column.

“What, don’t dump her on me.”

“You wanted an assistant, didn’t you? Now you’ve got one.” Haku said calmly.

The foreman at the desk smiled jokingly. “Yeah, perfect. Give the girl to him. Gods know he needs her help.”

Haku turned to you. “Akari, get going.”

“Yes, Haku-sama.” You ran to Katsu, who was glaring at Haku, his tails fluffing up angrily.

“Why’re you doing this, Half-and-Half?! You owe me one, you hear me?!”

“Have a nice day.” The foreman sniggered.

Katsu walked away, then turned back to see you staring at the foreman.

“Come on.”

You bowed to the other two and hurried off after Katsu.

Turning a corner into a long hallway, Katsu turned to you.

“You pulled it off, huh.” Now that you could see him up close, you saw the way his red eyes glowed slightly in the dark and every time he opened his mouth you saw the tips of pointed canines, a streak of what looked like fresh blood on his lower lip.

“Wh-what?”

“You dope, you might have been turned into a pig. Now you’ve made it, keep on your toes and ask me if you need anything. Got it?”

“Y-yeah……”

He led you through the building, to a large door with a curtain over the entrance. Holding out a hand for you to stop, he pushed the door open and yelled into the room.

“Oi! Pink Cheeks! Get out here!!!”

The curtain flapped and a girl poked her head out. You recognised her as one of the greeters you and Haku had passed at the bridge. She had brown hair cut in a bob and round brown eyes. You also understood why Katsu called her ‘Pink Cheeks’, because her cheeks  _ were _ sort of pink. She huffed good-naturedly at him, two tails curled around her leg.

“I told you not to call me that, Katsu. Now what is it?”

“The human girl’s going to be staying here, right? I need you to get her things for her.”

“Sure, Katsu.” She motioned for you to come in. You saw a dark, open room, futons spread all over the floor, with some girls and women sleeping in some of them. She opened a sliding door and started to search around while Katsu lounged at the doorway.

“I’m Ocha, by the way. What’s your name?”

“It’s Akari.”

“Nice name!” She handed you a blue undershirt and a pair of dark pink pants. “This is your undershirt. You’ve got to wash this yourself. And this is the pants you’ll wear.” She then pulled out a dark pink shirt and frowned. “They’re too big.” She dove into a pile of neatly folded shirts, searching for the right size.

“Katsu, Ocha, you know Haku, right?”

“Haku?” Ocha’s muffled voice came from the quivering pile, her tails twitching. Katsu snorted.

“What about him?”

“There aren’t two of him, are there?”

“ _ Two _ Hakus?” Katsu snorted again. “I can barely stand one Half-and-Half, let alone two. He’s annoying as hell.”

“Katsu! That’s mean!”

Ocha pulled out another shirt and looked at it. “Too big.” She looked sideways at you. “He’s Endeavor’s henchman, Akari-chan. Don’t trust anything he says.”

He was Endeavor’s henchman? Was he trying to manipulate you? Was he being nice to try and trick you into trusting him?

“Found it!” Ocha triumphantly held up a shirt. She gave it to you and you folded it up for later. Katsu started to walk away.

“Send her to me tomorrow evening.”

“Goodnight, Katsu!”

“Shut it, Pink Cheeks!”

*

Haku ascended a rail-less staircase, winding up a tall tower. Arriving on the top floor, he joined a man with large bird wings who was sitting on the edge of the balcony. The two children came up to them, standing by as Endeavor stepped out of his office, wearing a black travelling cloak.

Endeavor walked out onto the balcony. He nodded to the winged man, who took off into the sky. Endeavor then disappeared in a burst of bright flames. Haku flicked a switch and the lights turned off.

“Goodnight, Eri, Kota.”

Eri and Kota walked away behind a curtain. It swished shut and Haku was left standing by himself in the dark room. After standing silently for a while, he turned and walked out, the door closing behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies for the wait uwu. comments and kudos are always appreciated :3


	10. 九

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> where you go visit your parents and haku remind you of your name.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow, i’ve been dead for a long time. i’ve written a few chapters and will be posting them all now :3

You slowly woke up, warm under your blanket. It was day but the room was still dark, the blinds drawn against the early morning sun.

Groggy, you looked around, seeing the shapes of the other female workers. Ocha slept next to you, letting out soft snuffles and ears twitching slightly while she dreamed. Casting one last glance at her, you closed your eyes to go back to sleep.

The door opened quietly and you heard soft footsteps across the scattered quilts. They stopped right beside you and you squeezed your eyes shut in fear. A gentle hand was placed on your shoulder.

“Meet me at the bridge, I’ll take you to your parents.”

The feet stepped away from you, back across the room and the door shut. You sat up, snatching your folded uniform from under your pillow.

*

You walked down the hallway, looking around. You’d taken a while putting the uniform on, mainly because you didn’t know how to put it on. You’d had to wake an extremely sleepy and annoyed Ocha and ask her to help you. She’d taught you how, but you were still a little afraid that you would forget.

You walked down to the boiler room. Entering, you could see Aizawa in his yellow sleeping bag, sleeping and the three yokai curled up together under a pile of blankets. You looked around and saw your shoes were gone.

At the same time, the soot sprites peeked out from their holes and went in, pulling out your shoes and bringing them to you.

“Thank you.”

You pulled your balled socks out from them, putting them on and standing up. About to open the door and leave, you looked back and saw the chirping, hopping sprites. You waved to them and left.

You did find the stairs to the boiler room were a lot less scary in daylight. You even saw the wooden step you’d broken the night before, leaning sideways against the wall. Apparently someone had found it and were going to repair it. Looking across the valley, you could see a tall cliff where there were some short buildings, dirty and dark. The pigpens.

You finally walked to the bridge, seeing a black spirit standing alone in the middle. It was wearing a long black cloak and hood, with a pointed beak poking out from under the hood. A translucent black shape wreathed around it, resembling a humanoid bird. It stared at you with blank yellow eyes.

You paused before crossing, ducking to avoid eye contact with the spirit. Once you passed, you ran to the end and turned around to find it had disappeared.

Hearing footsteps, you turned back and saw Haku standing there. He gestured for you to follow him.

“Come with me.”

He led you into a garden, walking through rows and rows of hedges of bright, colourful flowers. You looked at them as you passed, trying to keep track of all the different types and follow Haku at the same time. You held up your arms slightly, careful not to brush the display.

“We don’t have much time.” Haku told you as he turned a corner. “If you’re found here, you’ll be turned into a pig as well.”

He led you out of the hedge maze and walked down a slope to the pigpens. Stopping just in front of the aged, wooden gate, he turned to gaze at you seriously.

“You must never come here without me, understand?”

“Yes.”

He nodded and pushed the gate open, leading you in.

There were many, many pigs, of different shapes and sizes, all crammed into small wooden pens. They stood around, snorting and squealing. The noise was deafening. Two large pigs slept on the muddy floor, isolated from the rest. You looked at Haku for confirmation and he nodded.

You ran to the fence and shouted to them.

“Otou-san, okaa-san! Are you alright?!” When they didn’t look up, you shouted louder. “It’s me, Akari! Wake up!”

The pigs were oblivious to your yells. Haku walked up to you. You looked at him.

“Why aren’t they answering me, what’s wrong with them? Are they sick?”

“They ate too much yesterday, they’re merely sleeping it off.” Haku replied. “They don’t remember being human, so look hard and remember them. It’s up to you. You have to remember which ones they are.”

Tears sprang to your eyes but you leaned over the fence and shouted to your parents. “Don’t worry, I promise I’ll get you out of here!”

Immediately after that, you turned and ran.

Back in the garden, you squatted against the hedge and cried. Haku caught up to you and reached into his kimono. Pulling out a cloth bundle, he handed it to you. You unwrapped it to see your t-shirt and shorts.

“My clothes! I thought they’d been thrown away……”

“Hide them. You’ll need them to get home.” Haku pulled out another bundle and started to unwrap it while you pulled out the handwritten goodbye card from a pocket.

“My card’s still here……” You read it.

“(Name). That’s my name, right?”

“That’s how Endeavor controls you, by stealing your name.” Haku said. “Hold on to the card, keep it hidden and safe. Remember that while you’re here, you have to call yourself Akari.”

“I can’t believe I almost forgot my name.”

“If he steals your name and you forget it, you’ll never find your way home. I no longer remember mine.”

“You don’t remember your name?” You looked up at Haku. He smiled at you.

“No. But it’s strange, because I remember yours.”


	11. 十

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> where you discover just how much you suck at cleaning.

Haku unraveled his bundle and offered you a rice ball.

“Here. Eat this, you must be hungry.”

You turned away from him. “No.”

“I put a spell on it so it’ll give you back your strength. Eat it.”

You took the rice ball and took a few bites. Realising your hunger, you quickly took huge bites and gulped it down. The rice stuck to your face as you shed what seemed to be a river of tears. You put your face in your hands and sobbed. Haku held the other two rice balls up to you.

“Have all of them”

You grabbed them both and devoured them.

When you were finished and had calmed down, you walked to the garden gate and opened it, Haku following behind. He faced you.

“I’ve got to go now, but I promise I’ll be back to help you soon. Just stay out of trouble, okay? Don’t give Endeavor any reason to punish you.”

You nodded and smiled.

“Thank you, Haku.”

After you crossed the bridge again, you looked to the skies and saw a majestic dragon with a long, snaking white body winding through the clouds. It had mainly white scales but had some red scales on its legs and other parts of its body. Its mane was a mix of red and white streaks, two long horns jutting from its head. It reminded you of Haku.

The dragon flew out of sight and you ran back to the bathhouse.

You didn’t see the strange black spirit fade into view behind you as you crossed the bridge.

It watched you run into the bathhouse, then disappeared again.

*

Aizawa stirred in his sleep and sat up. He took a generous gulp from one of his many coffee pots and noticed something.

“......huh?”

You were curled up on the wooden floor, with your t-shirt as a makeshift pillow. The soot sprites were congregated around your shoes again.

Aizawa crawled out of his sleeping bag to grab a fluffy blanket from the three yokai and carefully cover you. He then cast a glance at the yokai who were snuggling against each other for warmth. A blanket slipped off them and Aizawa covered them up once more. He sighed, looking at the scene.

“Seriously…… I don’t get why I feel for these problem children so much.”

_ Timeskip _

Dark grey rain clouds crawled slowly over the marsh, blocking the daylight. The winged man flew over the rooftops, circling as there was a flash of orange on the bathhouse roof. Night slowly drew in and the lanterns turned on.

In the women’s quarters, you handed folded quilts and futons to a pretty black haired girl, who had obsidian black eyes and wore her hair in a ponytail. She helped direct the girls in tidying up and cleaning the room. You learned her name was Momo, but most of the girls called her Yaomomo for some reason. She was one of the more experienced girls, and she acted like a guardian or mom to those she knew. She was always quick to help anyone who asked, and everyone liked her. She was one of the few who had actually tried to help you get used to life working in the bathhouse, like Ocha, Haku and Katsu. You did quite like her.

She now pointed you off to one of the larger rooms which was in need of cleaning. You followed Ocha to a long line of workers who were grabbing tokens off a board pinned on the wall. You accidentally took too long and a woman shoved you from behind.

“Out of my way.”

You stumbled, falling and some other workers laughed cruelly at you.

“Never mind them, Akari-chan. Let’s get going.” Ocha pulled you up and swept past them, deliberately facing away from them as they sniggered.

Arriving in the room, Ocha gave you a rag and bucket along with some instructions, you started to clean along with the other girls while she went to find Momo for her next assignment.

You soon decided that you were the absolute  _ worst _ at cleaning.

You ran your rag across the smooth wood floor with the other girls, soon falling over and left behind while the girls raced past you. You hurried to get up and continue, but the girls had already finished.

Standing on a tall ladder to clean the rafters, you slipped and fell off, only caught by an extremely angry Katsu who had arrived just in time to see you fall.

You couldn’t find enough energy in yourself to wring wet cloths, struggling to squeeze the waterlogged rag while Katsu watched and scowled. He finally ended up doing it for you. You guessed he was too impatient to even wait.

“Haven’t you worked a day in your life, stupid?!”

It seemed Katsu’s nickname for you was ‘stupid’. It was quite embarrassing, but no matter how many times you tried to correct him that your name was Akari, not stupid, he didn’t listen.

At that moment, a boy with dog ears, tail and a mop of fluffy green hair came up to you. He was holding a large notebook and pen in his hands. He quickly scanned a page of the notebook, apparently searching for something written on it.

“Um…… Kacchan and Akari, you’re cleaning the big tub today.”

_ Kacchan? _

“What?!” Katsu roared, grabbing the collar of the poor dog yokai and shaking him, “Stupid Deku, that’s work for the other extras, not us! Can’t you even do your job properly, huh?!”

Deku squeaked in Katsu’s tight grip, shivering. “I-it’s an order from the higher-ups, Kacchan! I’m just doing the reporting! I-i’m sorry!”

Katsu growled and released him. “Get out of my sight or I’ll kill you. For sure this time.”

Deku squeaked again and ran for his life. Katsu snorted, shoving a heavy bucket filled with water into your hands.

“Pour out the water.”

So you did.

You carried it all the way to the garden where you’d hid with Haku (slopping a lot of water along the way), then set it on the floor and slid the door open. It was raining outside. Pouring the water out, you caught sight of the mysterious spirit from before, standing silently in the rain. The shadow bird stared blankly at you. You guessed it must be a customer, so you bowed to it.

“Uh, are you getting wet out there?”

No answer.

“Stupid! Hurry up!!” Katsu yelled from inside.

“Coming!” You bowed to the quiet spirit.

“I’ll leave the door open.”

You picked the empty bucket up and walked away. The spirit moved towards the entrance and turned invisible. It appeared again as it crossed the threshold, then faded away again as it walked deeper into the bathhouse.


	12. 十一

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> where you get indirectly bullied and there’s an intruder.

You followed Katsu past many cubicles, where you saw workers filling the baths with water pouring from chutes in the ceiling. Steam rose from them, making the environment hot and stuffy. A girl with what appeared to be earplugs hanging from the lobes of her ears smirked at Katsu as you passed.

“Heard you got the big tub. Good luck cleaning it.”

She disappeared around the corner, still smirking.

Katsu growled lightly and beckoned you into the cubicle which housed the tub you would be cleaning.

An enormous tub sat in the middle of the room, covered in weeds, more strewn all over the floor and drenched in a thick coating of smelly brown grime. Katsu hissed and growled again.

“They haven’t cleaned this tub in months.”

A few men looked around the corner to watch. You tripped, dropping your bucket and broom. They laughed, pointing at the spilled water and you currently trying to get up without slipping on the floor.

Katsu set you to work clearing the weeds while he swept them aside. They smelled, wafting into your nose as you carried them. You tried not to gag.

When most of the weeds were cleared, you used large rags and all of your strength to scrub the filth inside walls. Although you tried your hardest, your combined efforts still barely made a dent in the muck.

“We only use this tub for the particularly dirty guests.” Katsu complained as he scrubbed. “It’s so caked in it’ll take weeks to get off. Disgusting.”

At that moment, Deku edged into the room, holding his notebook.

“Kacchan, Akari, there are some guests on the way.”

He edged back out again before Katsu could grab him again.

“DEKU! Get back and change the orders, this is harassment!!”

When Deku didn’t come back, Katsu threw his rag on the ground and stomped over to you.

“We’ll have to soak it.”

He grabbed you and lifted you out of the tub.

“Get a herbal soak token from Monoma.”

“A what?”

You were hoisted onto the side of the tub and you toppled, rolling off and landing on your face. Katsu poked his head over the side.

“A herbal soak token.”

You nodded and ran.

Only to come back two seconds later.

“...... who’s Monoma?”

“The foreman, stupid!”

*

It was raining. Hard.

Endeavor hated the rain.

He hated everything about rain, from its wetness and coldness to the way it nullified his fire magic. He tried to stay inside as much as possible during those times. He was now sorting through his treasure. He picked up a fat ruby and examined it. It shimmered in the lamplight, very much real. Satisfied, Endeavor placed it into a wooden box. He was just looking at an emerald when he sensed something.

A terrible stink could be smelled throughout the town, oozing under doorways and filling the air with its stench. Endeavor stood up and went to the window. He could see a huge, hulking shape moving slowly towards the bathhouse, shop lights turning off as if showing its path.

He wondered what scum would be willing (or stupid) enough to be walking about in the rain right now.

*

“Could I have a herbal soak token, please?”

You stood in front of the foreman’s desk, craning your neck to stare at him. Monoma grinned devilishly at you from his seat.

“I can’t waste a token on you, you useless human.”

He smirked as he handed a token to an approaching girl then giving another to a male who was carrying a stack of buckets. Another girl came up to the desk. She had long orange hair in a side ponytail and teal eyes.

“One token for Ryuko-sama, please.”

Monoma nodded and passed a token to her. She walked away and Monoma looked down to see you still standing there.

“Why are you still standing here? Scrub it yourself.”

“But I was told it has to have a herbal soak.” you tried to reason with him.

“Well, too bad.”

As he handed another token to a passing worker, the bird spirit you’d met on the bridge appeared behind him. You spotted him and bowed. Monoma turned around to try and see what you were looking at but the spirit disappeared.

The old-style phone beside him rang and he turned to answer it.

“Hello, foreman speaking…… yeah, what is it?”

While he was distracted, a bath token floated up and Monoma tried to grab it but it flew into your hands. You smiled, bowed and ran off.

“Wait, what?! Get back here-!”

“Something wrong?” Endeavor’s voice sounded from the phone.

“Nothing, everything’s fine.”

In Endeavor’s office, the man himself was holding a tiny skull under his hand, speaking to it.

“We have an intruder.”

The skull’s jaw chattered as Monoma replied. “Is it another human again?”

“I’m not sure. Figure it out and report back.”


	13. 十二

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> where the intruder appears.

"Well. You got us a good one."

Katsu led you to the wall, pulling a plank down to reveal a hole. There was a thin rope hanging there, with a metal clip on the end.

"Clip the token there." he pointed to the clip. "And you better make sure you don't drop it down the hole. Dunce Face definitely won't thank you for that."

You wondered who 'Dunce Face' was. Probably the yellow haired yokai you'd seen standing by the chute in the boiler room. The tokens apparently went there after being sent down, right? "What, why?"

"It'll fall on his head, dumbass."

You clipped the token and Katsu pulled it, then let go. He closed the door again.

"It goes straight to Aizawa, who then sends us our water."

A tall plank on the upper wall lowered over the tub. You realised it was a long wooden chute. Katsu walked up the side of the tub and put his hand on a rope hanging from the end of the chute.

"Pull on this to start the water. Try it."

You grabbed the rope and tried to pull it but slipped off, accidentally yanking the rope with you. A stream of warm, greenish water poured out of the hole and ran down the chute, gradually filling the tub.

"Eww. What's in there?"

"Dried worm salts, it's good for you. And with water this murky, you can't see all the filth."

Katsu jumped back to the ground and looked to you. "Pull it again when it's full, the water will stop. I'm going to get some breakfast. You look like you're going to collapse any second. Can't have a dead human on my hands." he walked away, muttering darkly to himself.

You released the rope and smiled at the good job you'd done. You then turned around and saw a certain bird spirit lurking in a corner. Surprised and losing your footing, you slipped and fell off the tub rim again, crashing to the floor. The spirit approached you quietly.

"Uh, sir, the bath's not ready yet." You hurriedly stood up, rubbing the back of your head.

The shadow appeared again and extended a claw, offering a large pile of bath tokens.

"......they're for me?"

It nodded and held them up to you, urging you to take them.

"Thanks, but I don't need them."

It continued holding the tokens out, making soft chirping noises to you.

"No, I only wanted one, I don't need them anymore."

The shadow frowned and it disappeared, tokens dropping to the floor with a clatter. At the same time, the tub overflowed, washing them away.

*

"Endeavor-sama!"

The said man rushed down the stairs, stopping at Monoma's desk. Endeavor scowled, looking towards the door.

"It's a stink spirit."

"An extra smelly one, too." the purple haired boy behind Monoma added.

"Just shut up, Shinso."

A servant ran up, panicking. "He's headed right for the bridge!"

Meanwhile, a crowd of servants were attempting to deter the hulking stink spirit, yelling and shouting.

"Sorry sir, we're closed!"

"There's no one here!"

"Closed for the night!"

"Please go somewhere else!"

It simply went on, fumes seeming to rise off it in waves, leaving piles of unconscious servants in its wake. Brown sludge dripped over the bridge as it crossed. Endeavor furrowed his brow.

"Something's off. It doesn't seem like a normal stink spirit. But we have no choice. Go greet him" he turned to Shinso.

"Just give him a bath and get him out."

You were just cleaning up the excess water from the floor when you heard what seemed to be an earthquake.

"Guests, please go back to your rooms! It's an emergency!"

You climbed onto a ladder and peeked over the side, seeing a stampede of servants and spirits passing. You then recognised Deku, the dog yokai who'd given you your assignments. He quickly approached you, nearly tripping over his own feet in haste.

"Akari-chan, Endeavor-sama wants to see you."

"Yes, sir." you nodded, following him away.

Deku led you to Endeavor who was standing by the door. He beckoned you over as you walked closer. Bending to meet your gaze, he stared seriously at you.

"Listen, Akari. This is your first job. Don't you dare mess it up."

"H-hai."

"A guest is coming, take him to the big tub and serve him."

"B-b-but-"

"No buts, or I'll turn you into coal and you'll live out your life in Aizawa's boiler room. Got it?!"

Monoma backed into his desk, hiding under it. Shinsou retreated behind a curtain, wrinkling his nose.

"It's here......!"


	14. 十三

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> where you do try your best and endeavor has suspicions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> posting one more chap after this and then it’ll go on mini hiatus. i haven’t updated my other fics in forever not to mention i have some levi-centric fic ideas and exams so i’m sorry and cya

You watched in horror as what looked like a giant mound of sludge inch its way into the bathhouse. Servants backed away from it, screaming in fear and quickly clearing a path. The smell was overwhelming, you instinctively covered your nose. Even Endeavor couldn’t suppress a wince. He glared at you out of the corner of his eye.

“Hands down, you’re insulting the guest.”

The spirit extended a handful of slimy pebble-like substance, which was dripping more brown muck. Endeavor was visibly struggling to stay polite.

“Akari, take the customer’s money.”

“Yes, sir.” as you took it (along with a bonus of  _ very _ disgusting slime), you could now see the glint of gold. You now saw the ‘pebbles’ were actually many small gold nuggets. (If only they weren’t covered in grime.)

“Don’t make him wait.” Endeavor interrupted your thoughts. “Take him to the bath.”

You tiptoed your way to the bath, leading the spirit while servants covered their noses as it passed. You even saw the frog girl you’d first seen last night back away, then keel over in a dead faint. You felt a pang of sympathy for her.

Walking past a corridor, you saw Katsu walk out with two bowls of rice in his hands. Spotting you, he ran forward but couldn’t join you as the spirit was blocking the hall.

“Akari!”

He cursed as the spirit passed him and the rice crumbled into a pile of unintelligible black matter.

Endeavor stood on the floor above, giving rapid orders.

“Open the windows! All of them! Now!”

The surrounding servants rushed to the windows, throwing them open to allow the clean air in. You led the spirit to the large bath, which was still partially filled with water. It immediately dived in, slopping sludgy water over the side and knocking you off your feet. It poked its head over the side and looked pointedly at you. You stared back, confused. What were you supposed to do again?

Then you remembered.

“O-oh, right…… just a minute, sir!”

You picked up the bucket of tokens and started to wade through the muck towards the token shaft. Endeavor laughed over your head. Shinso discreetly shot him a glare.

“That’s not funny, Endeavor-san.”

“Let’s see what she’ll do next.” the man replied, watching you struggle to yank the shaft door open. It wouldn’t budge, for some reason.

“Oh look, she’s trying to refill the tub.”

“She’s going to waste all our good water!” Monoma looked close to tears.

You’d just succeeded to open the door, slamming it into your head in the process. Rubbing your head, you randomly grabbed a token from the bucket. Hands trembling, you tried to clip it to the cord but accidentally dropped it down the chute. You watched in dismay as it tumbled into the darkness. One token wasted.

And even worse, you  _ swore _ you could hear a distant clatter and a pained “ _ ow! _ ” from far below.

“S-sorry!” you yelled down the shaft, hoping the poor yellow-haired yokai down there could hear you. Taking another token, you clipped it to the cord and pulled it, sending it down. Closing the door, you went back to the tub, where the wooden chute was lowering down above it.

“Who gave her all those tokens?” Endeavor angrily spat out. Shinso just shrugged, while Monoma scowled up at the taller man.

“Don’t ask me, I certainly didn’t.”

You climbed up the side of the bath, standing on the rim. The hanging rope was stiff as always, it took all of your strength to pull it. With a burst of energy, you yanked it down, subsequently losing your balance and falling into the water-turned-mud with a wet squelch.

But you’d done it, at least. A warm, greenish water flowed from the chute, splashing into the tub and filling the room. Monoma looked like the world had ended.

“Th-that’s our best herbal formula!”

You weren’t exactly having a good time in the tub. You felt like you were drowning. You kicked out, trying to stay above the water. However, you were stuck, unable to break free. You could slowly feel the breath leaving you, rendering your body weak and unable to move. You felt your body sink deeper, the slime engulfing you. Just as you were about to give up entirely, you felt something under you, lifting you up and out.

Opening your eyes, you found yourself in the palm of a giant hand, water running off you in streams. You put your hand into the water, suddenly feeling a stiff rod.

_ A rod? _

It shouldn’t be stuck in a spirit like this, would it?

You could see a familiar feral ash blonde near the entrance of the room. However, he couldn’t see you. He was looking around frantically for any trace of you.

“Akari!” Katsu was yelling. “Where are you?! You in there?! If you’re dead, or whatever, I swear to kami-”

“Katsu! I’m over here!” you cried, waving your hand. He immediately spotted you, fighting his way through the dirty water towards the tub.

“Stay right where you are, I’m coming.” he said, splashing closer. “You’re not going anywhere, I won’t let him hurt you.”

“I think he needs help!” you told him. “It feels like there’s something in his side, like a thorn.”

You pulled on the rod to show him. It was stuck fast, not moving a single bit. Endeavor was watching from an upper floor with a crowd of servants and spirits. Hearing your words, he scratched his chin in thought.

“A thorn, huh……?” He turned to Monoma.

“Get the staff down there and help her, now! If my hunch is right, that’s no ordinary stink spirit…...”


	15. 十四

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> where you succeed and a certain spirit causes problems

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there was a mishap with the publication date, its fixed now
> 
> so we have to set the date every time we post a chap? hhhhhhh how annoying

“Exactly as I thought. That’s no stink spirit.” Endeavor conjured a rope from thin air and tossed it to you. “Use this.”

“Right!” catching it, you waded into the mini stream and looped it around the rod. Katsu approached behind you, tying it in place with a tight knot. He handed the rope to you.

“Hold it tight.”

The watching workers were rushing to your aid, shepherded by Monoma and Shinso. Endeavor stayed on the upper floor, overseeing the whole thing.

“When everyone’s in place, pull on the count of three!”

You called from the tub, hot steam rising around you. “We’ve got it tied on!”

“Okay, on my command…… one, two, three! Pull!!”

Everyone grabbed onto the long rope, yanking like their lives depended on it. Suddenly you lost your grip on the rope and fell back. Katsu came closer to the spirit, clearing a bit of the goop away. You stared at the mysterious rod, which had revealed itself to be the handlebar of……

“A bicycle?!”

“What’s that?” Katsu growled, “Don’t go thinking we all understand your weird human contraptions.”

Endeavor nodded, “A bicycle, huh? Thought so.” he turned to the workers again. “Pull!”

You pulled as hard as you could, straining until you felt sure your arms would pop off, until-

The bicycle broke free from its slimy confines, Katsu pulling you out of the way of a wave of refrigerators, iron beams, furniture and assorted waste. You reached in and pulled out a final fishing line, following a quiet breath from the spirit. Water rose from the tub, seeming to curl around you and yanking you in.

You floated in a bubble of water, staring around in amazement. A face emerged from the water, that of an old man, with a wrinkled face and happily squinting eyes, jaw hanging from thin ropes. He spoke to you alone.

“ _ Well done. _ ”

The spirit’s face faded away and you were placed gently onto the ground by the water. You felt something in your hands. Looking into them, you saw a strange, chalky green ball.

The room was silent. The water receded, leaving a wet but mercifully clean floor. Trash was piled all around the walls. Endeavor had come down and was peering at the cracks between the floorboards. As the water drained, you could all see tiny pieces of gold settling in the ridges.

“Gold!”

The workers swarmed forward, grabbing at the gole while Shinso struggled to hold them back. Monoma yelled angrily over the din.

“Hey, that’s company property!”

The tub bubbled, and something started to form inside. Katsu yanked you away from it.

“Step aside, you’re in the guest’s way.”

You backed off, watching Endeavor yell to the servants at the door.

“Open the main gates! Make way!”

The spirit, a long, translucent blue dragon with the old man’s face, emerged from the water. It circled the bathhouse bridges once, then flew out the doors and disappeared into the night sky. The watching yokai and spirits cheered at your success.

Endeavor stared down at you for a moment, then turned away with a grunt. “I suppose you did well……”

He then faced the staff, the majority of whom had their arms full of gold.

“Everyone learn from Akari, sake’s on the house tonight.”

The workers cheered, but were interrupted.

“But first, hand over all the gold you collected.”

He was met by screams and loud complaining from the servants. Shinso and Monoma were trying to calm them while Endeavor strode away. Nobody noticed the strange black spirit appear at the back of the crowd, then vanish again.

*

“Some day, huh?”

“I have to say it’s been really weird.”

You and Ocha sat on a balcony, looking out at the vast ocean that stretched out for miles around. You swung your legs over the balcony, kicking a little. You heard footsteps behind you and Katsu walked over, holding a plate of dumplings in his hand.

“Oi, take one.” a dumpling was shoved into your hands before you could react. Ocha took one as well, smiling. Katsu flopped down beside you and roughly tore a bite out of his dumpling.

“Where did you get all these?” Ocha asked, eyeing the small mountain of dumplings next to her.

“Swiped them.”

“Hey, that’s not nice!”

“Who cares?”

“Katsu, Ocha, you know the river spirit just now? What was with all the rubbish in it?”

“It’s quite simple.” Katsu grunted. “He was originally all healthy and stuff, but with all the trash you humans dumped in, he became what you saw when he arrived.”

“To think that the pollution humans bring about…… it really upsets the world’s natural balance.” Ocha said sadly.

“Um…… have you two seen Haku? I haven’t seen him for a long time…..”

Katsu twitched at the mention of him.

“Not Haku again! Haven’t you had enough of that Half-and-Half?!”

“It’s normal. He just disappears sometimes.” Ocha told you reassuringly. But then she leaned closer. “Rumor has it he runs around doing Endeavor’s dirty work.”

“Really?”

“Lights out!” a call rang through the hallways. Katsu swallowed the last chunks of his dumpling and got up. He walked to the door and looked back.

“I’m going. Bye.”

“Goodnight, Katsu.”

“Whatever. Go sleep already.”

The door closed.

Lights switched off one by one, the only thing illuminating the balcony was the round moon in the sky. You also saw a lone train steaming through on a small track, plowing through the ocean and parting the waves.

“There’s so much water, it looks like the sea.”

“Of course. It literally rained the whole day, what else do you expect?”

“Mhm.”

You looked at the greenish ball in your hands. It smelled strange. Was it supposed to be eaten?

You took a tentative bite and immediately spat it out. It tasted absolutely  _ disgusting _ .

“Huh? Akari-chan, what’s wrong?”

“N-nothing.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


The halls were dark. There was a single light, shining from the many bath cubicles. Tsuyu walked through them, holding a lamp. She didn’t know why she was sent to clean the room. Maybe because Endeavor was worried the greedier servants would come to look for any gold nuggets that were left behind.

She entered the cubicle, using a small stick to pick in between the cracks. Finding a nugget, she put it into the basket she was given. She continued to clean, taking any gold she found to give back to Endeavor later.

A piece of gold dropped down from above. Tsuyu looked up, seeing a strangely shaped shadow near the top of the wall. Yellow eyes glowed down at her. Another piece of gold fell to her feet. She noticed it was coming from the shadow. Gold spilled from its claws.

“Sir……?”

The shadow made no sound, only continuing to create gold. It held the gold out to her. Tsuyu was confused.

“Pardon me, sir, but no one’s allowed inside during non-working hours……”

She came closer and the shadow swept out a claw, scooping her up and enveloping her until not one bit of her could be seen. The bucket of gold nuggets clattered to the floor, as did her cleaning supplies.

There were footsteps, and Monoma shone a lamp into the cubicle.

“Hey! What’s going on here?!”

He saw the black shadow in a corner of the room. Raising the lamp, he noticed it resembled a bird. And it started to speak.

“ _ I’m starving up here. Bring me food. _ ”

Monoma started to back away. “Wait…… I know that voice……”

The shadow advanced on him, eyes glowing.

“ _ Serve me. Now. And I want a bath. Why don’t you wake everyone else up? _ ”


End file.
